by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for DePauw University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At DePauw, 30% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $7,977 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $5,061, which is 92.0% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at DePauw, 32% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,376 per year. That is 26.0% higher than the $5,061 freshmen take on.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,752 across two years and $25,504 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 32% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,376 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 577 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,678,907 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at DePauw carry a median federal debt of $24,733 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $24,733 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,000 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for DePauw.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at DePauw.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at DePauw.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 216 | $30,202 |
| Completed (graduates) | 162 | $35,134 |
| Did not complete | 54 | $23,258 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $417.78/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for DePauw.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for DePauw is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 328 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $24,000 |
| Middle income | $24,750 |
| High income | $25,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $25,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $24,137 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at DePauw.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
Important to Remember
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.